Tuesday 14 March 2017

New Mars Forums

Recently I've been busy reading and contributing on a large bunch of forums around the theme of travelling to and colonising Mars. They are under the umbrella of the Mars Society and some of them have threads and posts from knowledgeable people, experts in their fields. Others are crowded with enthusiasts (like me, I suppose) with lots of bright ideas. It's simple to register and get started.

New Mars Forums

What I wonder, though, is whether all that threading and debating will lead anywhere. Quite possibly the first settlements will be built on Mars within the next 20 or 30 years, and who are the decision-makers and leaders who will make it happen? Certainly you'd expect some members of the Mars Society to be involved, but there are many other parties with their eyes on Mars:

First of all, companies owned by billionaires, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. And Mars One, if it can get funding.

The space agencies of nations such as 
- USA
- Europe
- Russia
- China
- India
- Dubai

Multinational corporations might get interested if there's profit to be made.

The United Nations could get involved if it thinks it needs to regulate and control the process.

My hope is that the idealism of ordinary people should not get sidelined. A forum such as the Mars Society could be a way for many 'little people' to get together and do something magnificent, like ensuring that Mars is free from Earth's domination from the start.

No comments:

Post a Comment